Children’s HealthWatch Submits Written Testimony to the MA Joint Committee on Housing
On October 15, 2021, Children’s HealthWatch submitted testimony to Chairman Keenan, Chairman Arciero, and distinguished members of the MA Joint Committee on Housing in support of H.1385: An Act providing upstream homelessness prevention assistance to families, youth, and adults, H.1428/S.898: An Act codifying the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program / An Act Relative to the Massachusetts Rental Voucher program, H.1436: An Act promoting housing stability and homelessness prevention in Massachusetts, and H.1372: An Act promoting housing stability for families by strengthening the HomeBASE program.
As a nonpartisan network of pediatricians, public health researchers, and children’s health and policy experts committed to improving children’s health in America, we witness daily the harmful health and economic consequences of housing instability, eviction, and homelessness. Our research and the research of others demonstrate that children and their families need access to safe, stable homes throughout their lifetime in order to thrive. We have found that children living in stable homes have better physical and mental health outcomes and educational achievement, are at a lower risk of hospitalization, and are less likely to experience other economic hardships. Furthermore, research has shown that stable housing reduces overall health care expenditures, including reduced emergency department costs and general inpatient hospitalizations.